Sermon – John 1: 6-8, 19-28 - Witnessing

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – John 1: 6-8, 19-28 - Witnessing

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Third Sunday of Advent

December 11, 2011

We have come yet another week closer to Christmas. People are in stores buying gifts. Others are getting ready to travel. Still others are preparing to receive guests in their homes. Christmas is a time when we encounter people we know but only see, call or send a card to at this time of year. Your family and friends will want to know what is happening in your life. Some of you will send cards and letters. This gives you the opportunity to witness to them of the faith you have received from God. Since you have all been blessed by God in many ways witnessing to others about all the gifts you have received should be easy. But we often find witnessing difficult because of misconceptions we have about it. So today lets look at the first chapter of John to see what the author of this fourth gospel has to say about what witnessing is and what witnessing is not. But first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Witnessing is a spiritual discipline just like attending worship every Sunday, praying every day, studying scripture regularly, being a part of a fellowship group, and serving the needs of others in the community. As we do these things our faith grows and this faith leads to eternal life. So we do all these things in a disciplined way, building up good habits and growing in the stature of Christ.

According to the Gospel of John witnessing is the most important of the spiritual disciplines. John talks about it in the very first chapter. Witnessing is important because without witnessing no one would ever come to the faith that leads to eternal life. Each of you has been witnessed by someone. Maybe it was your parents, or a pastor or Sunday School teacher. Whoever it was they did the most important thing in the world of witnessing to you of their faith in Jesus Christ so that you too would begin growing in that faith. So it is important that you witness to others so that future generations will continue to come to a saving faith that results in eternal life.

We have to know what witnessing is before we can do it, and there is no better teacher of witnessing than John the Baptist. In testimony that John that Baptist gave to religious authorities he told them that he was a witness and cleared up some misconceptions we have about witnessing. Listen to what John has to say about what witnessing is and is not.

John 1:6-8 ⁶ There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

John 1:19-28 ¹⁹ Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰ He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." ²¹ They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." ²² Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" ²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" ²⁴ Now some Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" ²⁶ "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." ²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Recently I visited a young man in jail. He graduated from high school last year with high hopes and a bright future. But, sadly, he began hanging out in the wrong places and with the wrong people and sin almost completely obliterated the image of God he had been created with. In jail he has had time to think about what he has done and experience guilt and remorse. He needs a messiah who will remove his guilt and restore him to new life.

It would be tempting to try to be his messiah. You could try to help him get a job, or help him apply to college. You could give him advise and possibly money. All these might be good things to do. But they won't save him. They won't remove his guilt. They won't lead him to new life. The problem is that you are not the messiah, you cannot save anyone. All you can do is to witness to the light in which you live through your testimony and lead people to Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah, the savior who can forgive sin, remove guilt and restore someone to new life. So remember you are not the Messiah.

Let's continue. Recently I heard about a farmer. He has spent a lifetime in fields. He is up at dawn working every day. And you can often see him working late into the night. He has little time for family and friends, and no time for church. You might call him a workaholic. Or you might say that he worships the god of work.

We have all known people who worship other gods. I am not talking about Muslims or Jews or anyone else in an organized religion. But I am talking about the alcoholic who worships the god of vodka, the moneyaholic who worships the god of greed and stinginess or the sexaholic who worships the god of one night stands. We all know people who worship things rather than God and if they are our family or friends we are tempted to try to save them.

We wish we could be like Elijah on Mt. Carmel confronting the false gods with supernatural power proving that God is the only God. It would be tempting to try to be Elijah and lead people away from their false gods. But we are not Elijah. All we can do is to witness to others about what Jesus Christ has done for us and let Christ rescue them from their false gods. So remember that you are not Elijah.

Let's move on. The newspapers are filled with world problems. This past Friday the Washington Post had stories about the failure of a European summit to solve the debt crises, the shooting of a police officer at Virginia Tech, and Pakistan preparing to shoot down American military jets. This is a typical day in a fallen world. We need a prophet to come forward with a word from God that solves the world's problems. We wish that our faith was strong enough that we could speak with a prophetic voice the good news of Jesus Christ to a world that desperately needs it.

It is tempting to try to be a prophet of God, to hear a word from God and say it to a world that needs to hear it. But we are not prophets. All we can do is to testify to what Jesus Christ has done in our lives, and allow Jesus to be the prophetic hope that the world needs. So remember you are not a prophet.

We see from John that we are not messiahs, we are not Elijahs, we are not prophets. Only Jesus is the messiah. Only Jesus is Elijah. Only Jesus in a prophet. Only Jesus Christ can save us and the world. But what we can do is point to him, the light of the world.

And this brings us to the picture in your bulletins (and on the screen). This is the famous Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald. In it you see John the Baptist pointing to the crucified Christ. Historically speaking this picture does not reflect reality because John the Baptist was executed by Herod before the crucifixion. So the scene you are viewing cannot have happened. But this painting by Grünewald is true because it accurately reflects the relationship between John the Baptist and Christ. John is pointing at the crucified Christ. Also notice that John the Baptist is holding an open Bible. Through his testimony and the testimony of scripture John points to Christ. John is not the Christ. John is not Elijah. John is not a prophet of God, John is not the light of the world. But John witnessed to others the truth of Christ bringing them to faith which leads to eternal life. And we are called to do the same.

So this Christmas season, as you see, write letters to, and meet your friends and relatives remember to witness to them about all the blessings you have received from God this year. Tell them about the messiah who has saved you from sin and delivered you from guilt. Tell them about how Christ has freed you from false gods. Show them how Christ, the word of God is a prophetic word to a world in need. Testify to the light in your life and the light of the world. And witness to them the saving faith in Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Father in heaven we ask this day for the gift of witnessing. Help us to testify to all that you have given us. Remind us that we are not the messiah, we are not Elijah, we are not prophets, and we are not the light of the world. But remind us that we do point to the light of the world, your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.